thank you for enlightening us this morning. >> he said he thinks people are forgetting these are big, powerful creatures. i'm not forgetting that. >> i guess i did for a minute. anyway -- >> that is all for "early start." i'm john berman. >> starting point with soledad o'brien starts right now. good morning. welcome, everybody. our starting point this morning, newtown one month later. we're live this morning in the small connecticut town marking a month since the gunman opened fire inside sandy hook elementary school. you'll recall he killed 20 first graders. he killed six staffers. he killed his mother. we're looking this morning at how the community today is recovering. the future of that elementary school and plans to prevent another tragedy. >> then the flu epidemic spreading as vaccines run low in some areas. this morning we're talking to the cdc to get the latest. plus, hollywood celebrates its

own at the golden globe awards. we've got the surprises and the snubs. plus, the moment that is heating up twitter. jody foster's very passionate speech and this interview that literally caused -- >> if somebody is out there actually saying it when it comes to the word [ bleep ], that the fact that i was using it in the movie more than it was used. >> in just about 15 minutes we will find out the car of the year from the detroit auto show. will history be made m motorcity? we got a packed show for you. lynn finelli from the cdc, colin goddard, he survived the virginia tech shooting, pam simon, she survived the tucson massacre, roxanna green, her 9-year-old daughter christina was killed during that tucson massacre. senator chris murphy will join us. former presidential candidate and ambassador john huntsman will be our guest. west virginia senator joe manchin is with us.

former florida congressman connie mack joins me, and actor steven michael pozatta from "breaking bad." "starting point" comes to you live with special coverage from newtown, connecticut. we begin right now. ♪ morning. welcome, everybody. we're coming to you live this morning, as i said, from newtown, connecticut. life in this small town changed forever a month ago today. today is the day of remembrance for those 20 children and six adults who were gunned down at sandy hook elementary school a month ago. today at 10:30 eastern time the stratford connecticut town council will vote on a proposal to name a new school after victoria soto, a teacher who was killed in that shooting. then at 11:00 a.m. eastern the group sandy hook promise unveils its plan to honor the victims.

a national grassroots effort to address gun violence. they'll be joined by families of victims and survivors of other mass shootings. last night at a public forum some 200 newtown residents debated the future of the sandy hook school building. some were calling for its demolition and a construction for a memorial. other folks said, no, it should stay standing as a symbol. the newtown massacre reignited the gun control debate as well. newtown police chief weighing in on that. >> a ban on assault weapons, restrict those magazines that have so many bullets in them. >> the families of noah pos ner, the 6-year-old killed in the sandy hook shooting, is also calling for tough new gun laws. tomorrow vice president joe biden and his task force are expected to deliver recommendations to prevent gun violence to the president. susan candiotti attended last night's meeting about the future

of sandy hook elementary school, and really what that conversation is even having on the community. first, here's what newtown's first selectman, who is kind of a mayor, essentially had to say about gun violence. >> i think it's -- for many people like me who have long been an advocate of better controls over access to those kinds of weapons, this simply elevates our passion on that issue. >> susan candiotti joins us now. passion on the issue. i think that's what weave been seeing. not only here in newtown, connecticut, but across the country. >> that's right. passions and emotions not only on gun control debate, but also about what to do about sandy hook elementary school. certainly we heard people talk about it on all sides. a lot of emotional moments as well. touching moments. for example, one parent who recalled telling the child that she was going to a meeting to decide the future of sandy hook elementary, and the child responded why are adults

deciding? it's our school. certainly, soledad, there is time to heal, and there's a lot of time to decide what to do next. >> reporter: st. rose of lima church lost nine of its youngest members at sandy hook. a vigil drew thousands that first night, and then there were the funerals. >> i was this far away from the families. it was palpable what they were going through. >> reporter: how well are people healing? >> there's still a lot of pain, a lot of grief. when it's going to go away, i don't know. it might not ever go away. >> reporter: arriving daily to ease that pain, something that astounds deacon rick sinto and fellow parishioners. >> reporter: it's a month later. what are all these boxes doing here? >> these are the gifts. these are letters. these are prayer cards coming in from all over the country, all over the world. >> reporter: thousands of pieces of mail carefully sorted for each victim, including the shooter's mother and the killer

himself. >> what is this all a sign of? >> this is the world putting their arm around newtown and saying that we're here for you in some way. >> reporter: like a huge banner that reads "we're with you, newtown" filled with signatures hanging from an overpass. it's all the way from tucson, arizona. the site of the gabby giffords mass shooting. down the street from the elementary school a bouquet marks the spot where a makeshift memorial once stood, now dismantled, composted, preserved for a permanent memorial. in this community people turn to each other for strength. many with the same question. >> the main questions of why? why did this happen? how did this happen? >> seeking answers month one may ever have. rirch rirchlg. >> reporter: for now there are no perfect answers about the

future of sandy hook elementary. this is the first of many public forums to come. >> there's plenty of time to come. a lot of healing has to take place here. we're only one month in. we're going to be talking with other folks who have survived mass shootings in the past and fwet some of their advice for what the people here in sandy hook should be doing as they face tough days ahead. also, we'll talk to connecticut senator chris murphy about gun control laws. not only in the state, but across the nation. of course, you're going to want to tune in to cnn at 8:00 p.m. tonight. anderson will be live from newtown, hosting a special edition of ac360. want to get an update now on some of the other stories that are making news today. john berman has that. he is back in new york. >> thanks, soledad. today doctors are wondering when we'll be over the peak of this season's flu epidemic. this map shows the latest cdc data on flu outbreaks. you can see 47 states have widespread activity. the cdc is saying that they won't know when we'll hit the peak of the flu activity. some pharmacies having trouble keeping up with the demand for the flu shot. they're running out while they wait for manufacturers to send

more as more people get the message. really, this is one serious mru season. dr. lynn finelli is head of the response team at the cdc. lynn, we showed that map right there. 47 states right now with widespread activity. we also said the cdc won't say when we'll hit the peak. what are the signs that it has peaked? >> well, the signs that it has peaked is this past week we had a little bit of a decline in activity. now, this decline in activity represents a composite of all the activity in the u.s. and it may reflect the fact that the parts of the states that were early in the season, like the southeast, are starting to decline, while other parts of the u.s. really haven't declined yet, and actually the west hasn't picked up quite a lot yet. they've still yet to see a lot of activity out west for flu season. >> 75% of part-time workers don't get paid leave. that means a lot of people who

may be sick are still going to work. how does that affect the transmission of a virus like this? >> well, that's hard to say. the cdc does recommend that if you are sick, stay at home. if you are sick, limit contact with other people. >> let's talk about the vaccine right now. can you still get it this late in the season? >> yeah. i think if you're persistent, call your provider, call pharmacies, call your local health departments. health departments are working with providers, with pharmacies and with drug stores -- i mean, with supermarkets to make sure that we maximize the number of people vaccinated. this includes sharing vaccine among providers and referring people to places where vaccine is available. >> one of the things we hear a lot is that this vaccine is 60% effective. is that a high number? >> well, even vaccinations that are 60% effective can confer a lot of benefit. this includes reducing the amount of serious disease, reducing hospitalizations and

even deaths, including reducing antibiotic use and missed work days. >> the message you are send issing go get the vaccine, even if it is just 60% effective? >> that's correct. >> dr. lynn finelli from the national center for immunization and respiratory disease. thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you for having me. nine minutes after the hour right now. in the u.s. backing france's fight against terror in africa. the obama administration moved toward approving limited support for france's military campaign to fight terrorists in mali in on sunday preparing surveillance drones and other air intelligence equipment for possible deployment, but not troops. the president also announced the u.s. lent limited technical support to rescue an intelligent agent held hostage by an al qaeda linked group in somalia. that attempt was unsuccessful. a dress rehearsal in washington as preparations for next week's presidential inauguration kick into high gear. stand-ins for president obama and vice president joe biden watch the presidential escort

from the capital's east steps, including the u.s. army ban, the old guard drum core and honor guard members from each branch of the military in exactly one week hole dad -- we will be live on the national mall. i'm the one in the middle. our coverage begins at 5:00 a.m. eastern. new this morning, big royal baby news. the duke and duchess of cambridge, their baby is due in july. that's according to st. james palace, a spokesman also saying that kate's condition is continuing to improve following her stay in a hospital for what the palace said was severe morning sickness. she is believed to be around 13 to 14 weeks pregnant now. hollywood, the 70th golden globe awards, they did not go according to script. never do. ben affleck won the award for best director. take that, academy voters. his film "argo" upset "lincoln" to take the top prize for best dramatic film. michelle turner has more on the big winners and best moments

from the golden globes. >> it's getting slop where i in here, everybody. look hot drunk glen close is. >> the golden globes are usually one big irreverent party and co-hosts tina fey and amy poehler kept the zingers coming. >> i'm catherine bigelow. >> when it comes to torture, i trust the lady who spent three years married to james cameron. >> the drinks and jokes were flowing, but there were, you know, awards to be handed out. guess who had the best reason to celebrate. >> "argo. "i. >> the iran hostage thriller earned the night's biggest prize, best drama, and director ben affleck who didn't receive an oscar nomination this year was a winner as well. >> i don't care what the award is. when they put your name next to the names that she just read off, it's an extraordinary thing in your life. >> "lincoln's" daniel day lewis and "zero's" jennifer chastain sal ooted their directors.

sfoo steven spielburg, you've given me an experience that i will treasure until the end of my life. >> catherine bigelow, you have done more for women in cinema that you can take credit for. >> no misery at the "les miserables" table. it earned honors for hugh jock e jackman and supporting actress ann hathaway. >> thank you for this lovely blunt object that i will forever more use as a weapon against saefrl doubt. >> on the tv side, she time's "homeland" took top drama honors. "girls" won comedy series and a best actress golden globe for its creator and star lena dunham. >> jody foster honored with the cecil b. dem ill achievement award provided the night's most emotional moment. >> i will continue to tell stories, but it will be my writing on the wall, and i want to be seen, to be understood deeply, and to be not so very lonely. >> and former president bill clinton surprised everyone when

he came out to salute "lincoln." in the end they laughed, they cried, and, of course, the party continues. >> good night. we're going home with jody foster. >> it was a good show. it was also a good night for ben affleck who seemed genuinely shocked at both his win for best director and the win for "argo" for best drama. we'll have to see if the momentum for "argo" carries over to the oscars in the best picture race. something audiences didn't see happened back stage in the press room after "django unchained" writer and director quinton terramtino. it has come under scrutiny for its liberal use of the n-word, and terrintino was candid in his response about why he used it so much. >> if somebody is out there saying it when it comes to the word [ bleep ], that the fact that i was using it in the movie

more than it was used back in the antebellum south in 1858 in mississippi, then had he might have -- then feel free to make that case, but no one is actually making that case. >> now, there was an audible gasp in the press room after he said that. it was a jaw-dropping moment. after terrintino left, don chaettle came into the room, no n-word questions please, actually using the n-word. i don't know what was going on back stage in the press room, but that's going to be a talker today as well. >> between the terrantino moment and jody foster, a huge amount of buzz about the golden globes. michelle turner, thanks very much. let's go now back to soledad who is in newtown, connecticut. soledad. >> all right. john, thank you. as we continue our live coverage of the one month anniversary of the shooting at sandy hook elementary school, we're going to talk with two people who survived massacres. one at virginia tech, and the other in tucson, arizona.

we've been here talking to the community. we'll have their perspective when we come back. you're watching a special edition of "starting point." we're back in just a moment. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] don't just reject convention. drown it out. introducing the all-new 2013 lexus ls f sport. an entirely new pursuit.

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of newtown residents called sandy hook promise will unveil a grassroots initiative to reduce gun violence. the group is going to be joined by families of the victims, of survivors of other shootings, including colin goddard and pam simon. colin was shot in the virginia tech massacre. today he works for the brady campaign to prevent gun violence. pam was shot on the congress on your corner event in tucson, arizona where the gunman opened pir. today she's involved with a demand a plan, a gun reform. it's myself to have you both with me. we certainly appreciate it. the meeting today is with sandy hook promise. it's -- there are several meetings that will be unfolding today and over the next several days. i know that you have met with them. what kinds of questions do they have of you? >> more than anything else we know what it feels like whether all the wreed is gone and you're left to live your lives without the very precious people, and so we're just here in any way we

can help with their healing. >> you were injured, as i mentioned, in the shooting that was perpetrated by jared loughner. >> correct. >> it's the two-year anniversary of that shooting. >> it was on monday, january 8th. >> every time there is another shooting, is it just like reliving trauma all over again for you? >> it opens the wound again. yes. just redoubles our commitment to do exactly what they are doing here in newtown. it's coming together. having conversations about how can we make this a better world for our children. >> the police chief did an interview on nbc yesterday, and he said here's what he would like to see. ban assault weapons, restrict those making sfwleenz that have so many bullets in them, shore up any loopholes in the criminal background checks. that's what he told nbc news. this is what you are interested in as well. what do you think should be done outside of the law? what should be done with the school site? virginia tech, they turned that classroom facility into a center

for peace? it's an emotional date for the people now. >> i think it takes something so negative and turns it towards something so positive. to work to prevent these situations from happening again to other people. who knows what they'll do here. just last night we had some folks. it was more conversations from fathers and parents and mothers saying my kid survived. he is not talking to me about it. is that okay? just tell them that, yes, hey, there's no formula to get over these things. everyone deals with them differently. the fact that he was playing with his friends, for example, is great encouragement that he is able to at least get it off his chest with those he is comfortable with. >> is that helpful for you, to be the voices of it happened to me, and here are the steps that i took as rocky as those steps may be? do you find that also helps you? >> i think one thing that has been very helpful to every survivor that i have talked to is to do something that contributes to positiveness, and i have been very honored to work

with christina's parents, roxanna and john green, and the christina taylor green foundation, and roxanna has brought a little angel that she will give to each of the families here, and this is -- >> i have to imagine that's going to be such a help. tangible things to help people. you used to be a middle schoolteacher, and now there are lots of conversations about arming middle -- arming teachers or teaching teachers how to take down a gunman. what do you both think of those proposals? >> well, teachers have a lot on their hands already, and i think that as a teacher myself, i think there's probably some other solutions, but the important thing is that we put everything on the table and open it to discussion. jared loughner happened to attend the same junior high that i taught in. it was before he was mentally ill. so there's a lot of work on many issues that we have to look towards. >> we didn't come here to talk about guns. i think that idea is pretty

ridiculous, and those people here think the same thing. i'm here to do the same thing i did after morning illinois university after the shooting happened, and the sean high school after the shooting at aurora and tucson as well. just to tell people what it's like to be a human being that goes through something like this. be an example a few years down the road of saying, you know, i'm one example of someone who is able to be okay with this. there are many ways that you can find your own way too. >> i think showing that path for people that don't really know that there's a path to find yet has to be very, very helpful. pam and colin, thank you for talking with us. i certainly appreciate your time and appreciate having you. >> pleasure to be here. >> we'll be talking more about that issue, what happens next for the folks here in newtown, and also efforts to curb gun sales and also magazine sales. we'll speak with connecticut senator chris murphy, and we're back in just a moment. three. my credit card rewards are easy to remember with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. [ both ] 2% back on groceries. [ all ] 3% on gas.

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♪ nice sweater. thank you. ♪ welcome back to starting point. i'm poppy harlow in this morning. we are waiting for the detroit auto show to announce the car of the year. the finalists, three of them, the cadillac ats, the ford fusion, or the honda accord. we'll get you that as soon as we know it. general motors flexing its new muscle car. the company rolling out the 2014 corvette sting ray. it looks pretty cool. it will be in showroom this is fall. fw m not yet revealing a price

tag, but the 2013 corvette goes for about $120,000. this, though, we're told is a totally different car. there's it shares only two parts with the 2013 corvette. we have the car of the year for you. the truck of the year is the dodge ram 1500. we're just waiting to find out the car of the year. the cadillac ats. the focus is going to be on the big banks. jp morgan chase, goldman sachs, therefore, baik of america and city group come out thursday, and we'll hear from morgan stanley on friday. now back to soledad live in newtown, connecticut. soledad. >> poppy, thanks very much. ahead on "starting point" this morning as we come to you live from newtown, connecticut, we're seeing just where this community

stands one month after the deadly school shooting here. we're going to take a look at gun control controversy that has now erupted many the wake of the violence here. with connecticut senator chris murphy. then it's a slippery hunt. we'll tell you why hundreds of people have descended on florida to try to track down pythons. you're watching "starting point," and we're back in just a moment. ancial advisor should focus on your long-term goals, not their short-term agenda. [ woman ] if you have the nerve to believe that cookie cutters should be for cookies, not your investment strategy. if you believe in the sheer brilliance of a simple explanation. [ male announcer ] join the nearly 7 million investors who think like you do: face time and think time make a difference. join us. [ male announcer ] at edward jones, it's how we make sense of investing.

welcome back. you are watching a special edition of "starting point." we're coming to you life from newtown, connecticut, this morning. ahead, we'll talk about president obama's potential executive order on gun control. we're talking to connecticut senator chris murphy about what the president actually can do as well as vice president biden's expected recommendation. that's coming up in just a few moments. first, though, we want to get an update on some of the other stories that are making news. john berman has that in new york. good morning, john. >> good morning, soledad. the nation wooild flu outbreak, it's just about everywhere. in all but three states, in fact, those lucky states, california, hawaii, and mississippi. in new york city the big hassle involves trying to get vaccinated. there's a run on the vaccine at some pharmacies and urgent care centers since governor andrew cuomo declared a public health

emergency. debate resumes today in the house of representatives over two bills that address sandy relief aid. despite opposition from house conservatives, the bills are expected to pass providing an additional $50 billion to the hard hit northeast. lawmakers in the affected areas including new jersey governor chris christie had been outspoken critics of those that have stood in the way of this much needed aid. who would have thought that people in los angeles could go to boston to escape the cold? it's freezing cold out west, but balmy in the northeast. it's soaking wet down south. meteorologist alexandria steele joins us with all of this. what's going on? >> you're right. it's 37 right now waking up, or going to sleep in los angeles. it's almost 50 degrees in new york city. what we have is a change in the trough, and we'll talk about where those changes will come and who will get warmer and who will cool down. right now 2,100 miles. you've got essentially a stalling cold front. there's rain from maine all the way to texas. it's really slowing down. thus, we've got two to four

inches of rain expected. you can see in the next 48 hours really here is the bull's-eye. potentially the more four or five inches of rain here right along the eastern seaboard. that will cool things down as well. also, an ice storm warning and some sleet on the back side of this, so really kind of a myriad weather scenario here with rain, sleet, and even some ice developing. maybe just one-tenth of an inch. on those bridges and overpasses, that's where we'll feel it. especially coming home tonight for the evening commute around places like western and eastern north carolina, and eastern tennessee. record warmth we had it yesterday. they were wearing shorts, and they were swimming outside in atlanta, georgia. charlotte, it was 75 yesterday. wilmington, 78. recordbreaking temperatures. breaking records from the 1800s. with all that moisture around m northeast and the mid-atlantic, fog advisories posted. that should lift around 7:00 or 8:00 tonight. here's the warmth that's getting smaller and smaller, and much of the country, 20 degrees below average. >> right.

alexandra steele in atlanta, thank you very much. all right. this is going to get your attention. an unprecedented hunt for a potential man eater. hundreds of big snake wranglers from hard core hunters to complete beginners are taking part in a florida competition meant to thin out the state's burmese python population in the everglades. this kicked off over the weekend, and our very brave john zurella is there right now. how is the big snake hunt going so far? >> well, state wildlife officials told me yesterday that they know that some of the hunters have killed snakes. they don't know how many yet. we'll probably find out a little better idea later today when they start bringing the snakes in to drop off points. they have to bring them in within 24 hours, and, john, the bottom line is that burmese pythons are an invasive species. they have no natural enemy, and they can grow and they've been spotted in the everglades nearly

20 feet long. now, state wildlife officials say they understand they're never going to be able to eradicate the snakes. the hope is that they can at least control them through hunts like this. finding them is not always that easy. >> you can go out there for days and days and days and not see one python. i don't care how much experience you have. it is going to take some luck. >> if we remove one snake from the ecosystem, we've done a good thing. so imagine if 700 people are out there, and they all bring one snake. that's 700 less snakes that we have out in the ecosystem. >> how did they get there? wildlife officials believe that pet owners dropped them off in the everglades, ten, 15, 20 years ago when the snakes got too big to handle, and there may be up to 100,000 of them out there, but john, let me show you a sign here. the reality is that you got a much better chance in florida of seeing one of those, an

alligator, out here than you'll ever have of actually seeing a python. john. >> you know, i don't really want to see either, but thanks very much, john. keep your eyes open, and stay safe down there. >> all right. let's go back to soledad in newtown, connecticut. all right, john. thank you. as we continue reporting this morning from newtown, connecticut, where the horrific tragedy at sandy hook elementary school happened exactly one month ago, we have a conversation with connecticut's brand new senator democrat chris murphy, newtown was part of his district back when he was a congressman. here to talk about that, nice to have you, sir. we appreciate your time this morning. >> thanks for being here. >> you have been meeting with the families that have been affected by the tragedy. give me a sense of how the community is doing one month in. >> listen, this is a tragedy that has layers of grief to it. so this is going to take months, if not years. the faep families are still reeling, and what you are seeing now is the sort of second and third layers of grief coming. the first responders and the

teachers and the administrators who are now just sort of grappling with what they saw, the fury of the first couple of weeks is over, and now they're settling back into a life that is fundamentally transformed. this town is never going to be the same, and, frankly, we're just starting to understand how impactful this event really was. >> it must be just a huge struggle. for the people who lost loved ones, for those that survived and were a part of it in any way. outside of that, there's also, of course, this raging gun debate that's been happening. let's talk politics for a minute. the president of the nra says, listen, assault weapon ban will not pass. that legislation will not pass. i'll play a little bit of what he said over the weekend. >> when a president takes all the power of his office, if he is willing to expend political capital, you don't want to make predictions. you don't want to bess beth your house on the outcome, but i would say that the likelihood is that they are not going to be able to get an assault weapons ban through this congress.

>> you have said you disagree with that, that you think, in fact, it would happen. why are you confident? >> well, that's his job to say that it can't pass, but the nra is reeling right now because they are fundamentally out of step with where this country is now, and, frankly, where gun owners are. the fact is that everything did change when this tragedy happened in newtown. the president was transformed. he is personally committed to an assault weapons ban and a high capacity magazine ban in a way that he never has been before. >> he mentioned political capital, and that's a very, i think, interesting question, right, which is a president does not want to spend political capital on an issue that he is not 100% certain is going to be able to pass. do you think he has a point with that? >> well, i think is he going to spend political capital. when the president came to newtown, he walked in to the school. the first thing he said to those of us who are there to greet him was that the day that this tragedy happened was the worst day of his presidency, and so i think with two, you know, little girls just like i have two little boys, he has been personally changed by this, and

what we're seeing is that, you know, democrats that used to vote in lock step with the nra, even republicans in this last week are saying that they're going to break with these guys because they realize they're not representative of even where gun owners are. >> let's show the polling for support for gun control measures. this was done on the 17th and 18th of december. ban on semiautomatic, 62% ban on extended ammo clips, 62%, require gun registration with government, 78% of people who were polled support that, but i think there's also a sense from some folks that poll was a month ago, and as you know and i know, over time people's reactions to a tragedy starts to wane, and they don't necessarily feel the same devastating emotion they felt a many ago. do you see that change happening? >> i don't. i do think this is a tipping point, and what's going to happen here is that this community is going to go out across the country and make sure that this moment doesn't pass. you're going to have 20 families who are not going to let congress sort of sit on the sidelines here, and so i just

don't think that this is going to go away, and frankly, i also think this isn't the last tragedy. if we don't change the laws, there is going to be another madman who walks into another school, another office building with an assault weapon, with 100 round magazine, and cause even more mass destruction. i wish that were the case, but if you don't change the laws and take these guns out of the hands of these criminals, then this is going to happen again. >> what should happen to the school? >> i don't think that this community can go back to that school. i think it's up to them, but i think the state and the federal deposit are going to be there to help them build a new school if that's what they want. that's going to be newtown's decision, but i have a feeling that's the way that they're leaning. >> senator murphy, thank you for being with us this morning. democrat from the state of connecticut. used to be tb a congressman right here in newtown. still ahead this morning on "starting point" the horrific shooting here has put gun control obviously front and center, and many folks hope the president does something. we'll talk more about that political capital question. is there a risk to the president politically to take some kind of

action? our next guest says no. ♪

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>> welcome back. we're coming to you this morning live from newtown, connecticut. today marks one month since the tragic shootings that took so many young lives and so many lives overall. vice president joe biden is going to be meeting with the house of representatives, and finalize the recommendations that he'll give based on meetings that he has had with his gun task force and groups across the country. he is expected to recommend a couple of things. universal background checks and limiting high capacity magazines as well as encouraging more research into links between violent media and gun violence. >> first of all, it's sobering to be in this place here at this time. i just want to say that. i think the president is going

to be more aggressive here in his second term on this. i mean, gun control is an issue that divides the country very closely. i think almost exactly in half. the reality is that the half of the country that is open devoting for obama, in fact, voted for him in november still is a strongly pro gun control constituency and the large extent democrats have been paralyze odd this issue by the fear of losing voters they've already lost. mostly blue collar white men, more rural voters. i think the key for the president is going to be to build a coalition that includes not only democrats, but those blue state republicans. that's the big difference between the politics of gun control and congress from the 199 0z until today. in the 1990s those blue state republicans felt pressure to support it. >> you could go through congress, or the president could go to issue an executive order. talk to me first about an executive order.

obviously it would have to be around laws that already exist. what are his options potentially on the table? >> pretty limited. i think on executive order, they are going to have elements of executive action in the package that are coming out with this week, but they will acknowledge from the white house themselves that the big things that people are most concerned about universal background checks, another attempt at an assault weapon ban which, of course, passed and then lapsed under president bush, and then limits on high capacity magazines, all of that has to go through congress. areas like tougher prosecution of gun crimes, tougher prosecution on lying on background checks, executive order freeing up more research, federal research into gun violence has been limit. they can do that from executive order. that's exactly it.

>> when you look at support for gun control measures, ban on semiautomatic assault guns, 62%, ban on extended ammunition clips, 62%, requiring gun registration with the government, 78%. has a month that's passed changed those numbers because, frankly, you and have i both seen that there's interest that drops off after the emotion of a national tragedy. >> so the longer term trend is that since the 1990s until now, support for gun control has diminished, and it was higher. now, as we see in these numbers, it basically di idz the country almost exactly in half that assault number in the cnn poll is higher than some of the other polls which, again, come out pretty close to 50-50. there's no question this is a polarizing issue. the difference, i think, soledad, is that in the 1990s democrats were more dependent on the voters who don't like gun control. those more blue collar rural

voters. both in congress and in the presidential coalition. in 2012 president obama lost overwhelmingly among those voters already and still won 51%. that is the big difference. there is now a majority coalition at least at the presidential level that does support action on these issues. the question is can you translate that to congress? there the key the blue state republicans. people forget 38 house republicans voted for the assault weapons ban in 1994. that allowed it to pass even though about 77 democrats voted no. >> the country is nott as partisan. >> and as polarized. the key issue here is going to be whether gun control advocates from mayor bloomberg to the other groups can put pressure on those republicans from suburban swing districts who in the 1990s were willing to vote for gun control, have not been so since because the democrats are always going to be divided by geography on this issue. >> fascinating to watch. ron brownstein, national journal, thank you for being with us. certainly appreciate it. much more to talk about as we continue our special edition of "starting point" coming to you from newtown, connecticut.

going to be talking with roxanna green. you might remember her 9-year-old daughter was killed in that attack in tucson, arizona. ist really about the two-year anniversary of that. we'll talk with her straight ahead. then more problems for the boeing dreamliner. the latest issue to plague the aircraft in molts. plus, vindication for ben affleck. his surprising win at the golden globes. plus, other highlights from hollywood coming up next. you're watching "starting point." health care... i tuned it all out. with unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters... my individual health profile. not random statistics. they even reward me for addressing my health risks. so i'm doing fine... but she's still going to give me a heart attack. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. ♪

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welcome back to "starting point." some top stories we're watching this morning. japan is investigating a second fuel leak on a boeing 757 dreamliner. japan airlines owns the jet. it started leaking over tokyo just days after a leak in boston. u.s. authorities are also looking at problems with the 787, including a battery fire. it could have been a blast from the past, and believe me, this would not have been a good thing. workers cleaning an antique cannon that was last fired more than 200 years ago were shocked to find it was still loaded with gun powder and a cannon ball. officials with new york central park conservancy said the cannon once fired from a british

warship. officials removed nearly two poupds of gun powder and disposed of it at a gun range. the golden globe awards was a night of celebration and vindication for one hollywood star. after being passed over for oscar nomination for best director, ben affleck took home the golden globe for best director, and his film "argo" won best film. which was a big surprise. and amy poehler got the last laugh at the expense of "zero dark thirty" director katherine big low. >> i haven't been following the controversy over "zero dark thirty," but when it comes to torture, i respect the lady who spent 20 years married to james cameron. >> i'm joined by brandon jacobs, a senior editor for "us weekly." i want to start by talking about the people that won ards wards.

the most stunning, ben affleck. i was stiffed by the academy, yet he walks away as best director and his film wins. >> this was the worst best week for ben affleck. thursday morning he got snubbed. it had to be a terrible morning in the affleck household. but ben comes back to win big at the golden globes. it's amazing and sort of a game changer for him because now -- this is what people are talking about, how ridiculous it is for there to be five directors nominated for best director for the oscar and not include ben affleck, who won the golden globe. >> i guess my question is it's a game changer not just for him, but what about "lincoln"? everyone thought "lincoln" was going to run away with this and win best picture for the academy awards. >> everyone assumed it would win. to see ben affleck win over steven spielberg was incredible. i still do think ultimately that spielberg will win, but now it's come down to basically "lincoln"

versus "silver linings playbook." these are the two movies left where there's a best picture and best director nomination. unless there's a crazy write-in situation with affleck, it could happen. >> "silver linings playbook," which by the way, did not do very well last night. >> jennifer lawrence won for best actress and gave probably the worst speech of the night. she definitely seemed 22 up there on the podium saying, i beat meryl in a joke that really fell flat. >> one of the speeches that's getting the most buzz from last night was jodi foster. she accepted a lifetime achievement award and gave a long and heartfelt speech that clearly moved a the lot of people. let's listen to what she said. >> i already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the stone age in those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family, co-workers, and then gradually, proudly, to everyone who knew her, to

everyone she actually met. now i'm told every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private lives with a press conference, a fragrance, and a primetime reality show. everyone might be surprised. i'm not honey boo-boo child. >> jodi foster has never discussed being gay publicly, and she sort of talked about it publicly. >> she's still conflicted obviously. there was never a, yep, i'm a lesbian moment. you had to read between the lines. she's always been intensely private. a lot of it started with the john hinckley case while she was at yale. she was a very young person thrust into this moment she didn't want to be in. and even through all her biggest years, winning the oscar for "the accused" and "silence of the lambs," she never wanted to bring the media into her personal life. she's refused to. even though the climate has changed, reality stars have

changed a lot of it. celebrities are increasingly much more open. she really refused to be up until now. she's 50 years old. she's winning this cecil b. demille, and she felt it was time to set the record straight. >> a lot of people said it was a retirement speech last night. does it feel that way to you. >> she was saying, i'm not retired. she's just saying, i'm prepared to now -- if the world thinks of me as a 50-something lesbian actress and those are the only parts i get, i'm prepared for that. i don't think that's going to be the case. >> bradley jacobs from "us weekly," always nice to have you here. let's go back to soledad in newtown. >> john, thank you. still ahead on "starting point," as we continue our live coverage from newtown, connecticut. we take a look at the one-month anniversary of that shooting, where 20 children and 6 staffers were gunned down in their school. we'll talk to survivors of similar mass shootings and talk about gun control. we'll talk to former governor

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our starting point one month later, we're live this morning from newtown, connecticut, marking one month since 20 first graders and 6 staffers were

gunned down inside the sandy hook elementary school. this morning we take a look at how the community is coping today and their plans to help prevent another tragedy. then a flu especialpidemic widespread across 47 states with vaccines running low. where we stand and what you need to know to protect you and your family. plus hollywood celebrates its own at the golden globe awards. we've got the surprises and the snubs. plus the moments that's heating up on twitter, jodi foster's very passionate speech. and staying classy. the car and truck of the year revealed just minutes ago in detroit. it's good news for the comeback of the american auto industry. we have a packed show for you this morning. r roxanna green, whose 9-year-old daughter was killed in the arizona massacre. jon huntsman. joe manchin, senator from west virginia, will join us.

connie mack, former house member. it's january 14th, and "starting point" begins right now. welcome, everybody. our starting point this morning, a day of remembrance for the 20 children and 6 adults who are gunned down at the sandy hook elementary school. it happened one month ago today. at 10:30 eastern time, the stratford, connecticut town council will vote on a proposal to name the new school after victoria soto, a teacher killed in the shooting. and sandy hook promise will unveil its efforts to honor the victims, a national grass roots effort to address gun violence. they'll be joined by family and victims and survivors of other gun shootings. last night in a forum, some 200 newtown residents voiced their

feelings on the future of the sandy hook building. some say it should be demolished. some say it should stand as a reminder. newtown's police chief had a clear message for washington, d.c. here's what he said. >> ban assault weapons. restrict those magazines that have so many bullets in them. >> meanwhile, the family of noah posner, a 6-year-old killed in the sandy hook shooting, is calling for tougher gun laws. tomorrow the vice president joe biden and his task force will deliver recommendations to prevent gun violence to president obama. we want to begin this morning with roxanna green. her daughter christina, you might remember, christina was killed while attending congresswoman gabby giffords congress on her corner event. she was a beautiful little girl and budding political junkie. roxanna has started a foundation to honor her daughter's memory and has done some work for the group mayors with illegal guns.

nice to have you with us. >> thank you. >> we spoke a while back, and i remember talking to you about how hard it must be to talk about your daughter who was just a child when she was killed. what kind of message do you have for the people here in newtown, many who have lost children roughly the same age as your little daughter. >> i'm here to offer comfort and support, prayers and love, and whatever kind of guidance i can offer in this grieving process, this journey that they're on. i know exactly what they're going through, the pain that they're feeling, and i just came here with one of my board members from our foundation, christina world foundation. i brought these angels, steadfast hope, and we hope this is a gesture of our love and prayers and hope for the future. >> why do you feel you have to be here? does it get easier for them? will the town move forward in some way? a month in, it does not feel like that's even possible yet. >> when you lose a child, it's the worst thing that could possibly happen to you. you always have a hole in your

heart. but in time you'll have a new normal. that's why i'm here to offer comfort and support and help them in any way possible so they can heal and go on with their lives. >> in just a few hours right behind us in the town hall, there will be a meeting with sandy hook promise. it's a group -- they've said that their goal is to figure out a way so that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again. you've been invited to take part as well. what will your role be in that? >> just to offer support. i'm just here for the families of newtown, for the parents that have gone through this horrific tragedy, and just to offer whatever kind of support and comfort i can right now. >> we were talking a little while ago with juan brownstein, who writes for the national journal, and he was saying there's two tracks. the president could issue some kind of executive order, and that seems kind of limited at this point. he also says congress could look at bringing back the assault -- the ban on assault weapons, and the president of the nra says he doesn't think that would ever

pass congress. i'm going to play a little bit of what david keene said over the weekend. >> when a president takes all the power of his office, if he's willing to expend political capital, you don't want to make predictions -- you don't want to bet your house on the outcome. but i would say that the likelihood is that they are not going to be able to get an assault weapons ban through this congress. >> so he says he doesn't think it's going to be possible. do you think that's the case? because that to some degree would be a reflection of how the country is feeling. where do you think the country is on this? >> i can only speak for myself and the many, many people that i know that have been affected by all the horrific murders that happen every year, over 12,000 murders. i just can't imagine it not passing at this point. we have to do something in this country, we have to do something now, and i think every gun should have a background check. i also don't believe that people should own military assault style weapons. i don't think they're necessary

for hunting. i am a gun owner. my husband's a hunter, and so is his family. we don't need those to go hunting. >> it's interesting, when you listen to what the vice president ticks off -- i know you've done work with illegal guns. the vice president ticks off his list of things likely of what he will mention tomorrow to the president, he doesn't mention the assault weapons ban. do you think it would be a huge mistake if they do not go that route? >> yes, i do. personally, i think it would be a huge mistake. i think they have to do something in enforcing the laws they already have on the books and making sure there's a criminal background check on every single gun purchase will be a start. i'll be happy if they do that. >> roxanna green, i so appreciate you coming to talk with us. i can't imagine how tough it must be to come and give solace to people. you've been through it two years ago. i know they really appreciate it. thank you for talking with us. >> thank you very much. >> you bet. this evening anderson is going to be here in newtown, connecticut, with "ac 360" at

8:00 p.m. eastern time. you can watch his live coverage then. more from newtown straight ahead. first, though, john has a look at the other stories making news today. >> good morning, soledad. all but three states in the grip of the flu epidemic. the cdc says the only states spared are california, hawaii, and mississippi. in new york, getting a flu shot is becoming tougher and tougher. there's been a run of the vaccine at some pharmacies and urgent care centers since governor cuomo declared a public health emergency. i'm joined by cnn senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. we hear the word epidemic. what does it mean? >> it's a big scary word. basically, when the centers for disease control takes a look at the number of people sick and dying from the flu, it's reached a certain level. it's an epidemic pretty much every year. every year we reach epidemic levels. the word itself doesn't mean much. what people really ought to be thinking about is how to keep from getting sick. get a flu shot, wash your hands,

stay home from work or school if you're sick. >> since we're talking about terminology, governor cuomo here in new york has declared a public health emergency. what does that mean? >> it means a number of things. one of the things it means is that pharmacies are able to give flu shots to people under 18. usually, that's not the case. under 18, you've got to go to a doctor. it's interesting. we called several pharmacies in new york state, and they said, oh, you're giving shots now to kids? and they said no. they knew they were allowed to, but they still weren't giving them to kids. it's unclear how much effect that directive has had. >> elizabeth cohen for us, thanks for keeping us up to speed on this flu epidemic. a lot of people sick. for more information about the flu shot, including where to find one, because it's not always easy, you can go to cnn.com/empoweredpatient. so hollywood's biggest party didn't disappoint. one of the big surprises of the 70th golden globe, ben affleck

winning best director for "argo" just days after the oscar snub. and "argo" upset "lincoln" for best dramatic film. that was a big surprise. other big winners, jessica chastain for best dramatic actress for her role as a cia agent doggedly hunting osama bin laden in "zero dark thirty." "lincoln's" only award went to daniel day lewis for best dramatic actor for his incredible turn as abraham lincoln. for all the winners and losers, nothing is getting more buzz than jodie foster's emotional speech while accepting her career achievement award. >> i guess i just have a sudden urge to say something i've never really been able to air in public, a declaration that i'm a little nervous about. i'm just going to put it out there, loud and proud, right? so i'm going to need your support on this. i am single. i already did my coming out about a thousand years ago. >> as we said, a lot of talk about that overnight. we're going to have a live report on the golden globes at

the bottom of the hour. let's go back to soledad in connecticut. >> all right, john, thanks. ahead on "starting point" this morning, we're going to talk about gun control, which is in the spotlight. what will washington, d.c., do. can they overcome gridlock? we'll talk to more people hoping to make a change. republican jon huntsman, former presidential candidate, and west virginia senator joe manchin. from "breaking bad" to a new role in mind. school board member. we'll explain why.

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so we watched them bicker endlessly over the fiscal cliff, and now we're watching as new arguments arise over the debt ceiling, gun control, you name it. it's no surprise the approval rating for congress is ghastly. it would have to gain a few points to be considered pathetic. only 14% of the people approve of the way congress is doing its job. how can washington ever break this partisan gridlock and change its ways? i'm joined by two gentlemen who say they have some ideas. senator joe manchin, a democrat from west virginia, and jon

huntsman, a former republican governor of utah and, of course, a former presidential candidate. they've been named as the new national co-leaders for the no labels campaign. it's a group pushing for solutions, no matter if it's from a democrat or a republican, and they're in new york this morning as part of an event for the group. governor hunsmtsman, let me sta with you. you people are coming together for an announcement of sorts. what's the announcement? >> the announcement is we're rolling out a group of problem solvers. people say, how do you expect to make congress work? you look at the 112th congress, the least productive in the history of the united states of america. the only way we're going to get traction on the issues that really do matter, whether it's balancing budgets, nrllienergy, immigration, you name it, is to get some people, republicans and democrats alike, who agree to meet on a regular basis and focus on problem solving. not their differences, but how we come dotogether to get the wk of the american people done.

i think the temperature has reached the 212 degree boiling point, and what we have to roll out today and talk about with 1,500 individual voluntes and activists, who on their own dime have come here as part of a grass roots network is going to be truly important in the name of getting things done for the american people. >> senator manchin, yahoo news did an interview over the weekend. i want to read from the article. "no labels lacked a clear agenda and grass roots support and was largely dismissed as irrelevant. with new leadership and sharper focus, the group has shed some of its early idealism in favor of a more pragmatic acceptance of what has divided the country and embroiled washington over the last few years." so, senator, let me be clear. you're not asking people to become moderates, are you? >> we're asking people to get involved and make congress work. to give us the support that won't get locked into the right or left, but willing to come together. whether you're a democrat or republican, whether you're a

conservative or liberal, and you really want to get things done, you have to be able to have that dialogue. the venue that no labels gives us -- i'll give you an example. i've been there two years. never did i think i would go to the senate and make history in being the least productive congress in the history of our country. i'm frustrated, and i want to do things. jon and i were governors together. we were used to making things happen. we were used to working across the aisle with our colleagues, and for the sake of our great states of utah and west virginia. i thought i would enter the same type of atmosphere in washington. that's not the case. the first time that i've had a chance to even talk, to even talk and meet with some of my colleagues on the congressional side of the house was through a no labels problem solving meeting. now, that's a shame. in two years, john, we have not had in the senate a bipartisan caucus where democrats and republicans talked about the problems of the day, to try to find commonality, if you will. so problem solving, no labels is

a great opportunity for us to do that. >> speaker boehner, a republican, and president obama, a democrat, they talked an awful lot. they met a lot in 2011. they met a lot again before the new year. they had an awful lot of discussions about the fiscal cliff, and they couldn't reach a deal. if you're coming into a discussion with different views that can't be reconciled, can you actually get anything done? >> there's 535 members of congress, 100 senators and 435 in the house. if you're not talking but to just a couple of people, you're not going to get a broad view of what's going on in america and what needs to be done. i really proscribe that there's more people in the senate, whether it be democrats or republicans, that are well intentioned that want to get something accomplished. they just haven't had the opportunity. no labels provides that vehicle, that venue. if you want to solve a problem, if you're in congress right now and you're as frustrated as i am, whether you're democrat or republican, then join no labels

and come to our problem solving meetings. you can speak openly to your colleagues that you never even met. john, the bottom line is the american people, they don't know we don't know each other. >> one of the biggest issues that will undoubtedly come before congress in the next few months is gun control. i don't believe i found any statement on gun control on the no labels website. tomorrow we do expect the vice president to address changes to the gun control laws in this country to the president. some of them include universal background checks, limiting high capacity magazine, encouraging more gun violence research, strengthening mental health checks. will no labels take a position on this? >> listen, john, it is in our position to be out there advocating on the policy front. we are providing a pathway, a sensible pathway that brings our nation's leaders together and expects them to solve problems. as joe and i know from having been governors and having delivered for the people we represented, progress is all about building coalitions and

actually comprehensive solutions and fixes. you can imagine, we've got 25 problem solvers under no labels in congress today. our goal by the end of the year is to have 75 to 80. now, can you imagine the gun debate or the budget debate or the fiscal cliff debate with 80 such problem solvers in congress who actually have the critical mass to move forward the agenda? that's the whole purpose here. not so the debate becomes 401 ) fractured, but basically is built on those intent doing the work for the people. they're all going to come from an ideological perspective, but they're all going to have in common the view that promotes problem solving. that's what we feel is most important -- whether it's on guns, whether it's on the budget, whether it's on immigration or energy -- all of which are terribly important to get done this year. that's why we're launching today under the nolabels.org, is so

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a quick look at some of our top stories this morning. a horn sounding 32 times, one for every person who died in the costa concordia disaster. the cruise shipwrecked off the italian coast a year ago sunday. they marked the anniversary with

wreaths, a memorial plaque, and, of course, many tears. former south carolina governor mark sanford will re-enter politics. it was our own peter hanby, who was the first to break this was a done deal. he reported it back in december. he will run for the house seat once held by now senator tim scott. sanford will make his run official in the next few days. remember in 2009 then governor sanford was reported missing and later admitted he was having an affair with a woman in argentina. so four teams left in the march to the super bowl. the new england patriots got a huge performance from running back shane vereen. that's shane ridley. but vereen scored four touchdowns. they beat houston 41-28. tom brady has now won more playoff games than any quarterback in history. and the atlanta falcons came this close to blowing a huge lead. they beat the seahawks 30-28 on

a matt bryant field goal in the final seconds. it was astounding they even needed that, but they won. san francisco travels to atlanta for the nfc championship game. then baltimore visits new england for the afc title. after that, it's new orleans for super bo super bowl xlvii. let's get right to poppy harlow for the business news. >> we can't all be tom brady. i'm poppy harlow in for christine romans. dow futured up just slightly. s&p and nasdaq down slightly. trading is expected to be pretty light today with big corporate earnings coming up later in the week. the big focus is going to be on the big banks. jp morgan chase, goldman sachs reporting numbers on wednesday. bank of america and citigroup will come out with theirs on thursday and then mar goorgan sy on friday. the car of the year just announced, the cadillac ats.

a first for cadillac winning this important award. and the truck of the year is chrysler's ram 1500, which also won the motor trend truck of the year as well. the treasury department said over the weekend, squashing all the rumors saying it's not going to mint a trillion dollar platinum coin to avert a government default. there was some speculation that treasury could unilaterally do this and avoid the u.s. defaulting on our debt. the government hit its legal borrowing limit at the end of december. treasury has been, quote, using extraordinary measures to keep the u.s. government running. so now this is in the hands of congress. they have to fix the problem. no trillion dollar coin. soledad, back to you. >> poppy, thank you. still ahead this morning on "starting point," as we come to you live from newtown, connecticut, we're taking a look at the ongoing gun control debate in our country. up next, we'll talk to a former florida congressman connie mack. his state has the most concealed

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welcome back, everybody. you're watching a special edition of "starting point." we're coming to you live from newtown, connecticut. ahead, we'll be talking with former florida congressman connie mack. we'll talk about gun control and what grieving parents and survivors of the sandy hook elementary massacre should be doing now one month in. first, though, john berman has a look at the other stories making news this morning. hey, john, good morning. >> thanks, soled da. it's been exactly one month since the deadly school the shooing in newtown. a new poll shows the percentage of americans dissatisfied with the nation's gun laws has spiked. check out this gallup poll out today. 38% of americans want stricter

gun laws. that's up from 25% a year ago. the biggest change was among men, believe it or not, who jumped 17 points, and but women increased a modest ten points. the flu epidemic is widespread in all but three states. those lucky three is california, hawaii, and mississippi. there's been a run on vaccines in urgent care centers since governor cuomo declared a public health emergency in new york. let's get the weather report from alexandra. some strange weather. in los angeles, the coldest morning in 22 years at 35 degrees. we've bottomed out in the west, and we've topped out in the southeast. temperatures were 20 degrees above average in the east, especially in north carolina, but this is what's going to happen. we're going to see a pattern shift. the west warms up to actually above average, especially here through the central plains, and gets to near normal for the most

part in the southeast where it has been 10 to 20 degrees above average. a lot of this is associated with this cold front. it runs about 2,100 miles all the way from maine to texas, and look at it beginning to see some winter weather begin. we're going to see ice and also some snow. there's the rain. two to four inches of rain expected over this area, john. we're watching it train over the same area. flooding a big concern. good news out west. if it's been too cold for you, things are going to be warm and kind of just moderate around the country. >> alexandra steele, thank you very much. cubans are eager to take advantage of looser travel restrictions taking place today, and the u.s. is bracing for them as well. patrick is live in havana to tell us more. patrick, what exactly are these easier requirements? >> reporter: good morning, john. your life in cuba sometimes can seem like a constant fight against regulations and red tape, but of all the rules here,

perhaps none were more hated than these travel restriction that's have been in place since shortly after fidel castro took power here. these restrictions were really to keep the exodus of people from leaving from taking place. so some of the restrictions were that it was sort of a labyrinth of different kinds of paperwork you had to fill out. people weren't allowed to leave with their children. professionals, particularly doctors, were prevented from leaving so that the country wouldn't have a massive brain drain. that's all changed starting today, and it's going to be much, much easier for cubans to travel. they'll only require a passport, but still some people will need visas to be able to visit most countries. despite those obstacles, john, despite the high cost of travel for many cubans, we'll see lines around the block at many passport offices here in havana. people eager to travel. >> big news for thousands and thousands of cubans this morning. thanks very much. lance armstrong has a lot riding on his sitdown with oprah

winfrey. the cyclist is expected to make a public apology and a limited confession to doping. armstrong has stripped of his seven tour de france titles after the u.s. anti-doping agency determined he was doping for years while at the top of his game. justin timberlake is back in the music game this morning. overnight he released his first single in seven years. the song is called "suit and tie." he collaborated with jay-z on the song. take a listen. ♪ as long as i've got my suit and tie ♪ ♪ i'm going to make it tonight ♪ let me show you a few things >> we can all rejoice. justin timberlake back on the music scene. that song is available on itunes. let's go back to soledad in newtown. hey, soledad. >> all right, john. thank you. as we mentioned all morning long, we've been coming to you live from newtown, connecticut, where exactly a month ago today, a gunman killed 20 children and

6 adults. it all happened at sandy hook elementary school. as a result of that tragedy, the wouts p white house put vice president joe biden in charge of a commission to stop gun violence. tomorrow the vice president is going to give his recommendations to the president. we're joined by republican connie mack from the state of florida. he and his wife, former congresswoman mary bono mack, usually join us on mondays. she had a little trouble with her plane. >> great to be with you. >> in just a few hours, sandy hook promise will be meeting here holding a press conference to announce their strategy for grass roots efforts to combat gun violence. what would you say individuals should be doing and proposing to make a real change? that's tangible, actual, three years from now real change. >> i think the voice of the american people are very strong. members of the congress and senate need to listen to the

people of this country. they should exercise their right and really their responsibility to engage in the debate. the more the people engage in the debate, the better it's going to be and the better product we'll have at the end. >> it was interesting to me to hear john berman was talking to governor manchin a little bit earlier, and he was talking about, along with jon huntsman, and they were saying for this group that they're coordinating, no labels, looking for solutions to gun violence sort of across the aisle, bipartisan support for that. governor manchin said that people in congress don't even really talk to each other. i want to play a little bit of what he said. >> the first time that i've had a chance to even talk, to even talk and meet with some of my colleagues on the congressional side of the house, was through a no labels meeting. the problem is the american people, they don't know we don't know each other. >> they don't know we don't know each other.

i keep calling him governor. of course, he was governor. he's now senator manchin. explain to me how that works or doesn't work. how is it possible you don't know your colleagues in congress? >> it is very sad. i know many times i would look up on tv, and i would see somebody, and the name would come up and say member of congress, and i'd go, i don't even know who that is. it's because every week on mondays we fly in. we start votes at 6:30. on thursdays we leave. there is no time for anybody to get to know each other. and when we're in washington, we're all running to our different committee hearings and doing our work. so there is no realtime to get to know each other. and a lot of problems we're seeing in washington is because there's no trust. there's no trust between the house and the senate, between the congress and the presidency. between republicans and democrats. when my father was in the congress and you had leaders from both parties that got to know each other. they spent time, families getting to know each other, and that made it much easier to try

to come to some sort of compromise because there was trust that develops over time. >> senator manchin's right. i was completely surprised by that. that said then, what should congress be doing in order to do something that prevents gun violence down the road, or is it, in your estimation, just not possible to prevent it? >> well, i don't think you're ever going to stop bad people from doing bad things. we can try to legislate it away, but it's just not going to happen. they'll find other ways. bad people who want to harm others will find a way to do it. we can continue to pass other laws, but all that does is restrict law abiding citizens of this country's rights. >> but there's an analogy, right, with, let's say, speeding. there will always be the guy who does 100 miles an hour. those laws kind of keep most of the people, most of the time to 65 miles an hour, and you hope that, because of those laws, we all sort of -- most of us who are law abiding, and motor

vehicle of us, even those who are probably not law abiding, stick to this thing because the law tells them that. that said, there's always going to be the outliers who are going to do what they do anyway. so not just gun control, we could create a number of laws that at least mitigate some of the po tengtential for problems. no? >> i think it's very hard to mitigate those problems when we're talking about a very small percentage of people in this country, and to create laws that are going to keep them in check when we know there's men it will health issues. it's not just the guns in this case. it's mental health and other things. to craft legislation that's going to box just those in who we're trying to box in is very difficult. in fact, i would say it's impossible to do. bad people will find a way to do bad things. >> you could track guns better, and then you could make sure you stop bad people from getting access to guns, which might help. someone was talking earlier -- i

think it was the president of the nra. he said the president may not want to spend his political capital trying to get an assault weapons ban through the congress. do you think that the point he's making is correct, or do you think the president would not necessarily spend political capital in his second term when he clearly was very moved by the murders that took place here? >> i think you'll see the president, the white house, will try to act. whether or not they get something done remains to be seen. there's going to be a lot of things that are happening along the way. we've got a debt ceiling issue that the president's going to have to deal with. there are a lot of other issues the president's going to have to deal with, immigration reform. i think the president's going to have to spend time on this whether he wants to or not. >> connie mack, nice to see you. >> nice to see you. >> please tell your lovely wife we're sorry she lost all her luggage and was stuck at the airport. >> love you, honey. >> we'll get back to john berman with a look at some of the other stories ahead this morning.

we'll be talking about the golden globes. ben affleck didn't get nominated for an oscar, but his surprise win at the globes may be vindication. we'll have that, the other surprises, and the big snubs in a live report. he's known for his role on "breaking bad," but actor steven michael casada has a new role to play, local school board member. you should know that axiron is here. the only underarm treatment for low t. that's right, the one you apply to the underarm. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these signs and symptoms to your doctor if they occur. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. do not use if you have prostate or breast cancer. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count;

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it was a memorable big night in hollywood. ben affleck rebounded very nicely, thank you, from his oscar snub with a win for best director. top that off. "argo" bested "lincoln" for best dramatic film, which throws a little more uncertainty into the oscar race with just six weeks to go. cnn's nischelle turner has more. >> it's getting sloppy in here, everybody. look how drunk glenn close is. >> the golden globes are usually one big irrev rent party, and co-hosted tina fey and amy poehler kept it going. >> when it comes to torture, i

trust the lady who spent three years married to james cameron. >> reporter: there were awards to be handed out. guess who had the best reason to celebrate? >> "argo." >> reporter: the iran hostage thriller "argo" earned the night's biggest prize, best drama. and director ben affleck, who didn't receive an oscar nomination this year, was a winner as well. >> i don't care what the award is, when they put your name next to the names they just read off, it's an extraordinary thing in your life. >> reporter: "lincoln's" daniel day lewis, and "zero dark thirty's" jessica chastain took the acting awards. >> and steven spielberg, you've given me an experience i will treasure for the rest of my life. >> katherine bigelow, you've done more than any other women in this field. >> reporter: and "les miserables" won best film for

musical. and actress for anne hathaway. >> thanks for this award that i will forever use as a trophy against self doubt. >> reporter: and "girls" won for its creator and star lena dunham. >> this is for every woman who felt there wasn't a space for her. >> reporter: and speaking of women, jodie foster, winner of the cecil b. demille award. >> i will continue to tell stories, but it will be my writing on the wall. i want to be seen, to be understood deeply, and to be not so very lonely. >> reporter: and former president bill clinton surprised everyone when he came out to salute "lincoln." in the end, they laughed, they cried, and, of course, the party continues. >> good night. >> we're going home with jodie foster. >> it was certainly a big night for "argo" and also for "les miserables." the question is will this momentum carry into hollywood's biggest night, the oscars next month? not necessarily. more often than not, it's the

guild award shows, like the screen actors guild and the directors guild that provide a better barometer for who will walk away with oscar gold. "lincoln" may not have won the golden globe, but they were not short of presidential moments. president bill clinton made a surprise appearance on stage to introduce the movie "lincoln." you could tell by the reaction in the audience, no one saw this coming. he received a 30-second ovation, made a couple of remarks about the movie, describing it as a tough fight to push a bill through a divided house of representatives. winning required the president to make a lot of unsavory deals that had nothing to do with the big issue. he paused and then added -- i wouldn't know anything about that. he was really good. he's still got it. i love the line that amy poehler said once bill clinton left the stage last night. she came up and said, oh, my gosh, what a great moment. hillary clinton's husband. >> the place went bonkers when she said that. >> they did. he's still got it, doesn't he, john? >> he does. but not many places where

clinton would be overshadowed, and jodie foster really did seem to overshadow almost everything last night. nischelle turner in hollywood, always great talking to you. thanks so much. >> sure. ahead on "starting point," an amber alert to tell you about. we're getting word a toddler was taken from her florida bedroom. and you may know him as agent steven gomez on "breaking bad," but steven michael quezada is making the jump to local school board.

welcome back to "starting point." this just in to cnn. florida police issuing an amber alert they say was taken from her bedroom. 2-year-old denise hernandez has black hair, brown eyes. police say her parents put her to bed at 10:00. when they went to check on her an hour and a half later, denise was gone. there are currently no persons of interest in this case. dirty air in beijing. record high pollution levels plaguing that city. it prompted an orange fog

warning. some plants have shut down production. reports of respiratory problems and the sale of masks have sky rocketed due to hazardous breathing conditions. this is nothing new for the chinese capital. last year heavy haze and fog forced the cancellation of 700 flights at beijing airports. the 2013 national hockey league season set to begin on saturday finally. teams opened training camps saturday as players returned to the ice for the first time following the four-month lockout. the shortened nhl season will be 48 games instead of 82. yes, there will be the playoffs. one of the stars of the award winning tv drama "breaking bad" will soon have a new role, school board member. steven michael quezada, who plays dea agent steven gomez, is running for the school board in his hometown of albuquerque, new mexico, which is where the series is primarily shot. steven joins us from albuquerque. thanks for joining us.

>> my pleasure. >> i should start out by asking. "breaking bad" is a really popular series, nominated for emmys and golden globes. never won. you're about to finish up the last season. will the last season be the lucky one? >> i'm hoping that it will be. the cool thing about our fans is that they believe we've already won. just to be in that category, we're okay with it. >> when most actors would be finishing up a series like this, maybe looking for new work, a movie role, another tv job, you're running for school board in albuquerque. that doesn't seem very glamorous. >> no, not at all. but it's nothing new for me. i've been working with kids through ydi since 1987. i've done gang intervention programs. my concern for education in new mexico has always been there. i'm one of those kids that struggled through school, and i feel that i kind of fell through the cracks. i have three kids right now that attend aps charter school. i found myself in a position

where i really needed to help them and really help the rest of the kids here in new mexico to have that type of edge and get a good education and have that whole pride and confidence and being able to move forward with their lives. >> is school board it for you, or is this the beginning of a long political career? >> school board is it for me right now. i still need to go out and work. the good thing about new mexico is we bring a lot of series and television filming. i hope to work in new mexico. along with being part of my community. just because i'm an actor doesn't mean i shouldn't be involved in my community. i think it's something i need to do and something that's calling me. >> one thing people tell us is actors are people too. the series, a lot of it is shot in albuquerque. any 6 your other cast members get involved in the city? >> they do.

brian cranston helped me develop programs for actors corps. it's time to train kids in new mexico for television and film work because of the work coming out here. he's helped me start some programs there, and they're involved. they care about what's happening in new mexico. they've been making their money here for the last five, almost six years. you get involved when you live somewhere and work that way. brian and the rest of the cast are awesome, great people, and they've invested in new mexico. >> since you're entering politics, let's get into some politics here and ask you some political questions. your show has a fair amount of violence in it. >> okay. >> a lot of guns, a lot of shooting, some of it very graphic. there is a big national discussion about gun violence. what do you think the role of the media is in that? >> well, you know, it's a matter of what people are watching, and i think a lot of the writers are just seeing what's popular and what's not. in reality, we've really got to look at what kind of guns are out there and really what guns

you really need to protect yourself and which ones are a little overboard and ones that are made for war. so i absolutely agree with some of the gun control, but i also know that it's a tv series. it's made for enjoyment. i think a lot of video games probably are a little bit too graphic myself. >> you have three kids, though. ever get queasy about shooting some of the scenes you do on "breaking bad"? >> well, my kids don't watch "breaking bad." so i'm okay with what i've got to do. really it's about feeding my family. it's really hard just to get a role. so it's really hard to choose. i'm not one of those rich actors. i know a lot of people look at me and say, that's one of the rich guys from tv. i'm not. i struggle like everybody else out here in new mexico to pay my bills every month. i'm on the lower end of that. and so i have to work. but i think a lot of -- the big actors really get to choose what they're doing. they have to be careful what they're doing if that's what they are concerned about. >> steve michael quezada, you are one of the good actors.

thank you so much for joining us this morning. good luck on the school board going forward. >> i appreciate it. >> let's go back to soledad, who's live in newtown, connecticut. soledad? >> john, thank you. "end point" is coming up next. i have low testosterone. there, i said it. how did i know? well, i didn't really. see, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive... but when i started losing energy and became moody... that's when i had an honest conversation with my doctor. we discussed all the symptoms... then he gave me some blood tests. showed it was low t. 8

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